After the jump, take a listen to the latest episode of the Killer Serials podcast. Richard Lindsay guest hosts with me this week. We continue the conversation about race, fame, and the last effects of the OJ Simpson trial on American popular culture. (more…) Read more
After the jump, check out my contribution to the Patheos Public Square and the conversation around Hollywood and social justice. (more…) Read more
Last night’s episode of The Walking Dead was one of the series’ best…suspenseful, gritty, raw, meditative, and deeply spiritual. It might also mark a darker turn for what is already a bleak narrative. (more…) Read more
To watch a Coen Brothers movie is to take a meandering existential journey through red herring subplots, eccentric characters, and entertaining discursions into philosophy. (“Nihilists! …I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.”) Whether or not it all makes sense in the end is largely a matter of interpretation. The only certainty is that human beings will be found fallible—sometimes tragically, sometimes hilariously—but always fallible. Their latest, Hail, Caesar! takes... Read more
After the jump, follow the links to the inaugural episode of the Killer Serials podcast in which Tony Jones and I discuss the first episode of American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson. (more…) Read more
Below, I rank the films I saw at Sundance last week, separated by features and docs, with links to full reviews where available. I missed out on some much-talked about films like Manchester by the Sea and Swiss Army Man and only saw three docs. The top three films really feel like they’re tied for first place, and the top six are all must-sees. (more…) Read more
A couple of years ago at a friend’s film festival, I had the privilege of screening director Steven Caple Jr.’s short film, A Different Tree, which HBO ultimately purchased. Unfortunately, that great short is difficult to find, so when I saw that Caple’s first feature, The Land, was premiering at Sundance, I couldn’t miss it. (more…) Read more
I had booked my ticket for The Birth of a Nation long before the news broke of its $17.5 million sale. As something of an armchair film historian, I couldn’t resist seeing a film renamed after one of the most (in)famous films of all time. Knowing a bit about the backstory of the film and its plot, I knew it would be an important, must-see at Sundance. While I’m not sure that it lived up to the hype that the... Read more
If you know me, it’ll come as no surprise that Gleason was one of my most anticipated films at Sundance this year. It was the first one that I scheduled when ticket booking opened. Walking into the theater I instantly got chills as Pearl Jam blared through the speakers. No other film I’ve seen this week has had pre-screening music. As in so many other areas of life, Steve was leaving his mark in special ways. (more…) Read more
On more than one occasion, I’ve heard it said about Sundance films that you’ll either love the film or you’ll hate it, and you’ll know in about five minutes which one it’ll be. This is the case with Yorgos Lanthimos’ (Dogtooth) latest film, The Lobster, an absurd comedy that asks us to think about relationships, love, and commitment in some odd ways. (more…) Read more
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